Hannah's manager Paul Bassis told the paper that the pair's behaviour was "a last resort", adding: "They [engage in civil disobedience] after local, state and federal agencies fail, after the courts fail, after everything else has failed."

Fairchild is quoted as saying: "I am not a pro at protesting, but I think it makes more of a statement to be arrested. They need to know landowners like me are being trampled."

The two women were protesting against TransCanada's proposed oil pipeline in Winnsboro, around 100 miles east of Dallas, and both have been charged with criminal trespass.

Hannah's bail was set at $2,500, while Fairchild was released on a personal recognizance bail bond, where somebody who is accused of an offence gives an assurance that they will appear at a trial.